eBay Sellers Brace for New On-Time Shipping Metric

by: The End

Just visited another one of my Ebay favorite categories only to find it has diminished from over 140,000 items down to a minuscule 2,000. Wenig is incapable. Ebay deserves a knowledgeable shepherd.  

by: flybuy

If they are trying to get rid of sellers they are doing a great job.  

by: forrosebud

I got an acidic stomachache just reading that s--t. So damn thankful I'm outta that hellhole!

by: fgilles02420

You have to love the statement about the q & a session:

"The session was not well attended, perhaps because it was announced only hours ahead of time, and the email announcing it was sent after the event had taken place."

Doesn't that just sum it up perfectly? Haven't sold there since 2008, for obvious reasons.

by: Rexford

The Q&A session once again shows that eBay management is clueless about selling and what sellers deal with on a daily basis.  

Evaluate away eBay. It's business as usual. Doing great on other sites, really don't need you anymore nor do I need your Draconian measurements.

Based on what I see when viewing completed listings looks like a lot of great items are going unsold.

If only had all those sellers back whom they drove away. They were buyers too you know.

by: pace306

eBay LONG AGO ran out of "carrots" and now (since 2007) only knows "pain and punnishment".

Each and every Seller Update is no more then a dress down, and more rules that a seller MUST do or else ... or else you get punished.

eBay cant give compliant sellers top ranking on Cassini, as thats already sold to the big box guys and the chinese. eBay cant/wont "if you're good" remove the competing ads on the bottom of your listing(s) since THAT would effect the golden parachutes of parasites like GRIFF.

eBay has no traffic, so theres no rewards with sales.


No one tuned in, because its all cr@p and everyone knows it.

Wheres access to BRIC countries?

Wheres the better USPS rates?

Wheres the thinning of the 32,000 PLUS unneeded employees?

Wheres sane management?

Wheres the parity and safety for sellers? (and not the faulty returns garbage?)

eBay has no plans going forwards and their 10K says as much.

Dummies.

by: IDKwhoIare

What Pace said above.

Ina said, ''Have you made any changes to your operations to prepare?''

Yes, I did. I shut my store of 12 years down.  Even though the preview of my Performance Level said I would have perfect scores after the new metrics kick in. I believe that because I am such a low volume seller, it would not take much to have me kicked off TRS because of 2-3 USPS screw ups and it is instant death of sales at that point instead of the slow starvation level I was at.

I have no confidence in eBay.  Between this new Seller Update crap proving that the new regime is just as oblivious to real world selling & shipping for small Sellers as the old and the constant glitching on their 'venue' and all the ridiculous problems they have created since even before 2009 - I am thoroughly and completely disgusted. Not going to waste my time there any more - as a Buyer or a Seller.

They do not want small Sellers, they do not want diversity in products & they do not want Buyers that look for such.  

by: Rexford

IDKwhoIare, you summed it up perfectly.

You remind me that Wenig's statement about "reconnecting with small sellers" was completely bogus.

by: pace306

To expand on IDK's post if I may ..... If you read eBays 10k filing, its FILLED to the brim with reasons why the IRS/SEC/Shareholders should expect "bumps" ahead next yr.

In each paragraph it blames sellers who they "cant control" who may do bad things and cause eBays profits to decrease.

You would think that since they know "whats REALLY going on in the marketplace) (they say so in the filing) that they would respond, properly. But, in typical eBay fashion - its anyone elses fault BUT theirs.

"We compete in two-sided markets, and must attract both buyers and sellers to use our platforms. Consumers who purchase or sell goods and services through us have more and more alternatives, and merchants have more channels to reach consumers. We expect competition to continue to intensify."

"As we respond to changes in the competitive environment, we may, from time to time, make pricing, service or marketing decisions or acquisitions that may be controversial with and lead to dissatisfaction among sellers" ..... so then why do it? Is the management that dumb?

"If we are unable to change our products, offerings and services in ways that reflect the changing demands of ecommerce and mobile commerce marketplaces, particularly the higher growth of sales of fixed-price items and higher expected service levels (some of which depend on services provided by sellers on our platforms), or compete effectively with and adapt to changes in larger platform businesses, our business will suffer."  aka its all our sellers fault!!!!!

THIS is why eBay will always be an also ran, as apposed to Amazon. THEIR 10k doesnt play the blame game. They take responsibility for THEIR efforts and their 3p sellers efforts and work to make it better for everyone.

Am I ready for what ever cr@p eBay has in THIS seller update? yes/no/I dont care. I ship same or next day and stock everything I sell. I have a %100 positive rating (for now) that goes back 2 yrs. If thats not enough, then TOO D@MN bad.

by: WOODJUNGLE! ON EBAY

Ebay continues to 'fix' what's not broken and break what is not. In 15 years, this is the worst January ever for me. I have the least amount of confidence than ever in this company.

by: WOODJUNGLE! ON EBAY

LOL. I meant, they break what's not broken and they don't fix what needs fixing    Still waking up here.

by: WOODJUNGLE! ON EBAY

LOL. I meant, they break what's not broken and they don't fix what needs fixing    Still waking up here.

by: Owen

eBay's insistence on micro-managing every little thing, leaves them incapable of managing anything. There isn't a company in the world that could micro manage things to this level and get things right. They micro manage their policies, and then don't micro manage the problems that it causes. There is no way to correct this without physically looking at every single piece of collateral damage their policies create. Can't be done.

by: Rexford

Woodjungle says "In 15 years, this is the worst January ever for me."

Same here. Who would have ever thought it would come to this?

by: FeelingFroggy

Guess if you are a carrot jumper then you might have some real worries.

The smart sellers have given up on the tokens Fleecebay tosses them and have gone to NO RETURNS AND AT LEAST 5 DAY SHIPPING.

Fleecebays little chat is nothing but a donkey and spider show. Who really cares what they say anymore?

by: Rexford

Rule #1 regarding running a business: Don't tick off your customers.

Rule #2: Know who your customers are.  eBay doesn't seem to have a clue that small sellers are their customers. eBay only view big enterprise as their customers....and the Chinese.

by: WOODJUNGLE! ON EBAY

@Rexford- I've often thought it couldn't get worse, and then it does. January is typically my biggest month.  So far, its on  par with the slowest month last year.

by: FEEbay

These idiots are going to run the company into the ground, and I say GOOD RIDDANCE!
How many people on this blog, have spent many sleepless nights with the IPAD, answering customer questions, and putting out fires that are almost ALWAYS Ebay-related??? I am over it... Used to do 600K/month on the site, now it is well below 100K, and dropping. One of our accounts is over 5% ''late shipment rate,'', and we ship same day, 6 days per week! Another account is suspended from listing anything for 30 days over their insane ''duplicate listings'' policy.
DEATH TO EBAY!!!!!!

by: IDKwhoIare

eBay says, ''If we are unable to change our products, offerings and services in ways that reflect the changing demands of ecommerce and mobile commerce marketplaces, particularly the higher growth of sales of fixed-price items and higher expected service levels (some of which depend on services provided by sellers on our platforms), or compete effectively with and adapt to changes in larger platform businesses, our business will suffer.''

WILL suffer? Idiots. It IS more than suffering.  

By choosing to only serve big box sellers and Chinese sellers, you have reduced product selection and increased the cost of all items. Bye, Bye Buyers.
By choosing to compete (certainly not effectively) with larger platform businesses that only sell new, reproductions, and mass marketed items, you have condemned yourself to sucking hind teat...maybe even lost a place at said teat. You were too late to enter that arena and you are too cheap to hire those that bring higher technical capabilities needed and you do not have the infrastructure to support it if you did. JHC, you can't keep the site up on the last day for a Coupon Promo.
When you are not the Top Dog...and you aren't...you have to find niche items and niche markets.  You had that. You did not know how to value it, grow it, & succeed with it.  You blew it.
You think that your business will merely suffer?  Ya big Cry Babies, it is DYING.

by: IDKwhoIare

Pfffft...looks like I need a Xanax & a nap.  Think I have to settle for the soothing repetition of loading listings to a better site.